Author's Note: Alright, for those of you who have not read the Omega Series, let me give you a rundown on my take on mythology. Athena's birth name is Ennina, she was one a Samarian goddess. Cronus is not Zeus' birth father, but he fostered the king of the gods on the isle of Crete until the Titanomachy began when Zeus was a grown man. Ennina is married to Cronus, though at the time of this short story, they have decided to have an open marriage.

If you would like to know more about my version of the gods, please read the Omega Series which I have posted on this site! For more info, visit my profile or feel free to message me.

Love Jasmine

Poseidon and Ennina

"You know that when I hate you, it is because I love you to a point of passion that unhinges my soul."

Julie de Lespinasse

He wanted her, by the gods he wanted her. From the time she reached womanhood it consumed him, this burning, this thirst he could not quench. He hated her for it, he hated what her sky blue eyes did to him without even trying. He hated the few times that she passed close by him, and he could smell that unearthly scent that came off her warm skin. He wanted to possess her, but it was far more than that. It would have been easy if his desires did not go past lust, if having her once would be enough for him he would have found a way to have had her by now. Yes, she was a married woman, but she and her husband had chosen an open relationship after she added the duties of love goddess to her already long list of responsibilities. Of course, not every god could find his way into her bed, only a select and blessed few were ever invited there.

He had watched her from afar for more centuries than he could count. He watched her grow more beautiful by the day as she reached maturity. He watched her become betrothed to that Norse god Thor, he watched her fall in love with the man who raised her father and then risked everything to be with him, a god named Cronus. That too ended badly, at first at least. She ended up married to the god she loved, and happily so. He wanted to be happy for her joy, he wanted her happiness to be enough for him, but it was not. She consumed his every waking thought, it was because of her that he had not gotten a decent night of sleep for more centuries than he could count.

She was constantly in his dreams, tormenting him with promises of eternal love and passions beyond explanation. In his dreams, he could run his fingers through her brown curls, inhaling their scent. He could taste her lips and feel her perfect body wrap around his, drawing him into a maddening ecstasy as she pulled him closer, begging him to never stop touching her. In his dreams, he could possess her in every way, and yet those dreams were never enough, they were always lacking since he had never experienced what it was like to make love to her. He wanted her to love him, but knew it was not possible. He hated her because he loved her and could never have her, and she hated him because he hated her for no reason she could see.

Her name was always within his mind, Ennina, that name tormented him. Though those mortals now knew her as Athena, it was not the name she was given at her birth. No, her name was Ennina, it meant 'The Light' in the language of the gods, and she was that. Kind, strong, brave, brilliant beyond compare, a true warrior who was not afraid to fight for her people. She held a devotion towards her people, mortal and immortal alike. She saw them as her children who needed her guidance and love. In truth, she was everything that was promised and more. She was exactly the gods needed from their future queen, a perfect mixture of her royal parents, with her mothers kindness, beauty and compassion, and her fathers strength, stubbornness, pride and his good mind for politics.

She was beautiful beyond compare, with her mothers flawless and elegant face, those perfectly full lips, those amazing sky blue eyes surrounded by those long brown lashes, that golden tan skin. Her hair was made up of soft brown ringlets that held a golden hue to them. The color of her hair she received from her mother Hera, while her curls and sky blue eyes were a gift from her father Zeus. Her crooked smile, which she also inherited from her father, brought light and joy to all those around her, her soul was a wonder to behold. And yet, with all that kindness and compassion, she was not a goddess to be crossed.

Poseidon himself was an unbearably handsome, 6'5 god. With piercing gray green eyes that were as wild as the sea, blond hair that he kept combed back and an incredibly, muscular physique that was worthy of the powerful god he was. His perfectly chiseled features were partially coved by the short blond beard upon that godly face of his. He was not vain though, his looks were something he never thought about, Ennina was his every thought after all. It was difficult as it was just to focus on his duties.

It was too much to be around her, knowing that she would never be his. It was his half brothers daughter, his eldest daughter, his heir, the future queen of Olympus that this god had fallen in love with. He was the king of the sea, Poseidon was the name his mother Theia gave him at his birth.

Poseidon had a wife, one he loved before Ennina came into his life and made any happiness impossible without her. Yet still he loved Amphitrite, no part of him wanted to lose her, but he had no power over this love that had turned into hate. Ennina was all he could ever think about, and it had nearly driven him to a madness without end. He could barely stand to be in her presence. Deep within him, he knew that it was hate he was feeling, but the insanity of unrequited love.

He had missed his chance with her. By the time he understood how insanely in love with this goddess he was, she was already betrothed to another god and it was too late. He wished he could stop loving her, but it seemed that was a futile wish. There was nothing that could make him stop loving her, nothing that could dull the ache within his soul except for her love, something he would never have. It used to nearly bring him to tears, but then he amended that he would not allow her make him that weak, and that was when he began hating her.

Then it happened. A new city was sprouting by the sea where ancient Ateia once stood, and this city would be his, it stood by the sea after all. Of course, it was not enough that Ennina had taken his soul from him, turned his thoughts into nothing but longing and loathing. No, she wanted this too, she wanted his city.

They bickered, their verbal fights were passionate, Poseidon found that he enjoyed it more than he should. The fight in her eyes, the passion, her strong will and stubbornness turned him on and drove him on to speak more angry words, just to get a rise out of her, to see that passion in her eyes for a few moments more. When Ennina would calm herself, being the voice of reason she always did, and her eyes would become soft, asking why they were fighting over this, it was too much to take. That certainly unintended tenderness was more than he could stand. It made him soft inside, made him melt. Whenever he felt himself beginning to bow to her will, to her charms and his undying love for her, he would become more enraged and storm out.

The fights continued between the two and Zeus had to intervene, he had no choice, their anger towards each other was causing horrible storms, by Poseidon over the seas and by Ennina through the skies. They did not call her "The Thunder Goddess" for no reason. She was her fathers daughter in that respect. She was a heavenly being, born of the storm and the stars, of Zeus and Hera.

So it came to pass that they were called into court to settle this matter once and for all. They stood alone in the hallway outside of the throne room, waiting to be called in. Both glared at the other as they stood twenty feet across from each other, neither spoke, only glared. Poseidon saw it, the moment Ennina's sky blue eyes began to soften, he heard the little sigh that left her full lips that enticed him to know end, he watched as her arms fell from their crossed position, revealing her slim and shapely figure that tormented him. He felt his body losing its tenseness in response and did what he could to hold onto his anger. If he let go, if he let her get to him, he would not be able to deny her anything, and that was a dangerous prospect. Her sky blue eyes met his gray green ones, some of that fury still within them, though now there was also hurt that made him even weaker. He never wanted her to hurt.

"What did I ever do to make you hate me so much uncle?" She asked him softly, the softness in her voice disarming him and leaving him speechless.

When he did not answer, Ennina began walked towards him, a determination set into her eyes and in the way she held her perfect body, a body that seemed to be created to torment him. He did not expect her to come so close, for their bodies to almost be touching as she glared up into his eyes. It was too much to take, the way her breath washed across his face, feeling the godly heat coming off of her body, having her so close that if he were just to lean down, he could finally taste those lips he had dreamed about and for centuries. He cursed the Moirae, wondering how they could be so cruel to him, how they could place such a perfect creature as the one standing before him in his life, when she was never meant to be truly his. He ached for her, he would give his soul just to touch her cheek once, to see if she would welcome his touch or deny him what he has always wanted. It took everything within Poseidon to keep himself restrained.

"Why do you hate me?" She asked, repeating her question. It was a moment before he could find his voice to answer.

"Because I want something I can never have." He said to her softly, it was all he could do to keep from whispering the words. How can she not know what she does to me? The king of the seas wondered. A love goddess should know love when she sees it.

Her perfect lips parted to say something else, perhaps to ask another question. It was in that moment, looking into her confused and determined eyes, that he lost control of himself. He be damned for it, but he would kiss her, just once. Without a second thought and before Ennina could get another word out, in one swift motion, Poseidon wrapped his arms around her, pulled her body to his and his lips descended upon her own.

Ennina was surprised for half a moment and Poseidon internally waited for her to push him away and slap him across his cheek, but to his shock, to his wonder, she melted into his kiss as a soft moan left her lips, leaning up on her toes to deepen the kiss they shared.

Everything else ceased to exist in that kiss. Atomic bombs went off, tsunami's raged between them, and yet there was a kind of peace in that frenzy of emotions, that and a greater joy than he had ever known could exist. When their lips did part after an eternity of connection, they were both trembling slightly, their breathing ragged and try as he might, the king of the seas could not let that goddess go, his arms refused to move from around her waist.

"Do you understand now? Or do you need another explanation?" Poseidon asked in a gruff voice, still lost in the aftermath of that kiss. He had never imagined it would feel like that to kiss her lips, that it would change him so completely. All that phony hatred melted away, there was only love left between them.

Ennina looked up into Poseidon's eyes as if she had never truly seen them before, while wondering how she could have missed the fact that he was in love with her. As much as he did not expect for her to respond to his kiss as she did, he never dared to hope what happened next would ever come to be. She leaned up and kissed him passionately. He responded at once, losing all sense of himself as they devoured each other. His hands ran over her body, taking hold of what he could as her moans drove him on and their tongues moved like the raging seas. Her hands were tangled in his blond hair, though they ran all over his shoulders and arms, communicating to him that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He was about to start undressing her, determined not to miss this moment, not to miss his chance with her again, when a voice stopped him.

"My lord and lady." Came the voice, a little louder than necessary, and Poseidon sighed as he stopped kissing Ennina, but did not let her out of his arms.

They both turned, their faces flushed golden, the blush of the gods. A timid messenger stood there blushing as he announced that the mighty king of the gods was ready to see them. Ennina nodded to him and offered the boy a smile and he disappeared back into the hall.

Ennina went to follow him, but found that Poseidon's arms were still firmly around her waist, refusing to let her go. He did not know if he would ever hold her again, and after what he had just tasted of her, that thought became all the more unbearable. She looked into his eyes and understood what she saw there. She was not the goddess of wisdom for nothing. She placed her hand on his cheek and gave him a soft smile.

"Later." She whispered. The way she said the word, the look in her eyes, made him realize that she was making him a promise, that they would be together later. It gave him hope, hope and such joy. Poseidon nodded and Ennina kissed his cheek and he reluctantly released her from his hold.

Ennina walked towards the hall, but glanced back and gave him a bright smile before entering. Poseidon found himself smiling as he followed her into the throne room, which was filled with anticipating gods.

The thrones of the Twelve sat on a semi circle marble platform ten feet off the ground, Zeus and Hera's being the two in the center with five on either side. Carved white gold veined marble steps led up to the thrones. The king and queen of the gods sat in their rightful places, all of the thrones were filled with the divine beings, the leaders of the Olympian gods. The only ones that were empty were Poseidon and Ennina's.

The king of the gods was an impressive figure to say the least. With silver curls, sky blue eyes, a strong and handsome face and a tall and muscular build, and a handsomely crafted crown atop his regal head. He held himself like a king should, with dignity and honor. His wife and queen Hera was an incredible beauty, with gray blue eyes, those same beautiful features that she passed along to her daughters, and long, straight brown hair that held a golden hue, along with that lovely golden tan skin. She too held herself as a queen should, as a lady should, with grace and a divine dignity. Poseidon bowed to his half brother and Ennina curtsied to the divine couple.

"I have made my decision." Zeus announced, his voice authoritative but not cold. "You both have good claims to the city. Poseidon, they will be a sea fairing folk, and so it is only right that you are their patron. They will you're your protection and guidance if they are to thrive. And Ennina, you have a strong claim as well, seeing the skill in art they are showing and the strength of their fighters, the boldness with which they are building their new city, and you were patroness of the city that once stood there, before Ateia and most of the Minoan's were destroyed in the flood. Not to mention that they are already naming the city Athens after you. So, to decide this, I have come up with a contest. Whichever one of you brings the most extraordinary new creation into existence shall win patronage over the city. I will be the judge of this contest. Does that seem fair to your both?" Zeus looked to Poseidon and he nodded, he then looked to Ennina and his daughter nodded as well.

Poseidon had no interest in the city anymore. She could have the damn city, he did not care about it, what he wanted was her and he realized in that hallway that he might have something of a chance. He would have backed down, but met Ennina's bright gaze, there was a challenge in Ennina's eyes that he would always rise to meet.

"Ladies first." Poseidon said to Ennina.

"Lets save the best for last. You go first uncle." She said, a bit of a smug smile on her lips for whatever she had planned. It was undeniable that the goddess could be proud, and she had every reason to be with all her accomplishments and power, but she never let that pride blind her.

"We shall see about that." He said to her.

Poseidon closed his eyes and held his hands apart, letting his mind drift to all the things he could create. His sharp, astute mind traveled through all the possibilities, trying to find something that would impress the goddess he loves. Nothing seemed good enough, nothing he came up with was worthy enough to set before a goddess such as her. After tirelessly searching, with a burst of enthusiasm and pride that made a smile spread across his face, he finally had in mind the creature he would create for her.

Poseidon opened his gray green eyes, seemingly only seconds after he had closed them, and let his energy, his magnificent powers, flow from him in a bright golden burst as he gave life to his new creation, leaving not one detail out. When his golden light receded back into his godly form, the whole hall drew in their breath and began murmuring, yet what brought Poseidon the greatest joy was the way Ennina's breath caught in her throat as she took in the animal before her.

It was unlike anything she had ever seen. Its long, black, muscular body was covered in lustrous hair, its proud head held high, its dark eyes shining with majestic pride. Its long, strong legs ended in black hooves, its long face truly beautiful. Its long black forelock fell in waves down his long nose, its mane and long, thick, flowing tail gave the animal an even greater beauty.

The animal reared up on his back legs and let out a loud whinny, making the crowd gasp again as it pawed at the air before landing, its hooves making clinking sound on the marble floors. It walked up to Poseidon and sniffed his outstretched hand. Poseidon, still smiling, stroked the animals cheek and then patted his long neck.

"Oh uncle," Ennina breathed as she walked up to the creature, Poseidon watched her as her wonder filled eyes took in every detail of the beast before her. "What is it?"

"He," Poseidon corrected her gently. "Is a horse."

Ennina was still in wonder as she went up to the horses head, near Poseidon, and held her hand out. The horse sniffed it with his ears forward, meaning he liked her. Ennina smiled as she ran her hands over the beautiful animals face.

"This animal will have uses beyond count." Poseidon began speaking to the gods around him, though not able to take his eyes off of Ennina. "He will be a fast and efficient means of transportation. Also, his strong and able body will be able to help the mortals in their labors, making it easier and more productive to plow a field or remove the stump of a tree. In battle and throughout life, there will be no closer friend to man than this creature I have created in honor of this new city." A loud cheer erupted in the hall, the king of the gods spoke when things quieted down.

"Brother, I think you might have finally beaten my darling daughter." Zeus said, his voice holding the same wonder that filled the throne room "I have never seen anything like it."

"I would not be so sure about that." Ennina said, that proud smile on her lips and a bit of mischief dancing in those sky blue eyes.

The great goddess of wisdom and defensive warfare did not need to close her eyes to consider what she wanted to create, she already knew. She turned away from Poseidon and held her arms apart. There was a great cracking sound that resounded throughout the throne room from in front Ennina. The cracking sound continued, growing louder by the moment. Poseidon, along with many of the gods present, was completely befuddled. Poseidon glanced at Ennina's husband Cronus to see a smile on his lips and realized that the nature god, Zeus' foster father, knew exactly what his wife was doing.

The cracking continued to grow louder and soon, the marble beneath their feet began to shake with each crack and soon fissures were appearing all over the floor. The marble began to erupt, being pushed up in chunks from the floor as a sapling began to grow from the crack. The sapling grew taller and taller, rising above their heads as it became a full tree, the twisted trunk of which was growing thicker by the moment as more of the marble crumbled out of its way. When the tree stopped growing, the long, slender dark green leaves were full and an odd little oval green fruit began to bud until it was black.

The gathered gods were left in awe of this spectacular show of power and imagination. Even Poseidon himself stood in rapture as he looked upon the creation. Ennina walked up to the tree and one of the branches obligingly bent down towards her, as she plucked a handful of these fruits off and threw them into the waiting crowd who caught them with ease. She gave Poseidon a huge smile as she tossed one to him, then proceeded to throw them to the Twelve. Ennina gave them all time to taste it.

Poseidon placed the black fruit in his mouth and bit into it, finding a unique taste he enjoyed even more because it was created by the goddess he loves.

"This fruit is called an olive, and has many more uses than just sustenance." Ennina announced to the gathered gods, holding the aforementioned fruit within her fingers in the air, proudly showing off her new creation. "This fruit can be pressed down into an oil that is useful for cooking and for lighting fires in our temples to honor the gods. The oil will also soothe a mortals red skin after too many hours working in the sun, and it will help heal dry skin in those blistering winter months. The leaf of this tree can be used for countless medicinal purposes, such as stimulating their immune systems and disinfecting a wound. And if all these other uses and not what the mortals need come winter, the tree can be cut down, and the wood used to provide warmth on those cold nights they must endure." Again, a cheer rose in the great hall.

"Brother, daughter," Zeus addressed them and the pair looked towards their king. "You both have created truly extraordinary creations on this day. No doubt, mortals will remember this day and honor your creations for eons to come!" The hall cheered before their king quieted them with a hand. "However, a winner must be chosen." He took a long pause, glancing between Ennina and Poseidon, between the horse and the olive tree. Zeus' sky blue eyes met Poseidon's and he gave his brother an apologetic smile. "My dear brother, it seems my daughter has bested you on this day." Another round of applause went up as the gods chanted the name of their future queen. Zeus quieted them again with a proud crooked smile on his face as he looked upon his beloved daughter. "Ennina, I announce you winner of this contest and patron of the new city of Athens!"

The hall erupted in cheer once again for their princess and the smile and pride on Ennina's face gave Poseidon the greatest of joy. He could not have cared less that she had beaten him. The gods gathered around Ennina to congratulate her, the goddess kept meeting Poseidon's eyes and smiling now that she understood him.

Poseidon watched as her husband Cronus walked up to his wife, looking at her with amazement and unconditional love written on his face and shining within his bright pale green eyes. The king of the sea felt less and less hopeful by the moment as he watched them together, as he always did. Any fool could see just how deeply in love with her husband she was.

"You are wonderful, do you know that?" Poseidon heard Cronus ask his wife.

"So I am told." She replied and wrapped her arms around his neck as his arms wrapped around her body and their lips met in a sweet kiss.

Poseidon had to turn away from the sight, as he always did. How could he have a chance with her with all the devotion between those two? Poseidon went to his creation, the first horse, and stroked his black coat as sadness gripped his heart. He felt her essence as she approached and did what he could to steady himself as he turned around to face her. There was a reassurance in Ennina's eyes that Poseidon could not quite allow himself to trust. He smiled to her as best he could while that pain ripped apart his soul. No, she would never be his, she would never love him like he loves her, like she loves her husband.

"It is a magnificent creation, Poseidon." She told him with a smile, her eyes seeing into his soul and knowing the pain she saw there.

It was the first time in a long time that she had said his name, he never liked the name so much as he did in that moment, with the way it rolled off of her tongue. Thinking of her tongue made him think of that kiss, how she not only gave herself over to him, she pulled him closer, her hands had run over his body as if they too wanted his clothing out of the way. That kiss was real, that feeling, that connection was real and Poseidon refused to let go of it and of her so easily.

He wanted to take her into his arms and press his lips to hers, to have her hold him close and kiss away all his pains as she had just a half hour before. He wanted to speak, say something, anything, to her, but he could not find words.

Ennina walked up to the horse and stroked his long proud neck. Poseidon saw how much she loved the animal, she adored it, treasured his creation and that meant more to him than winning would have. If he won, he probably would have given the city to her anyways.

"May I give him a name?" She asked, her sky blue eyes meeting his.

"Please do." He said softly.

"Ichorous." She whispered.

"Divine Blood?" He asked, she smiled and nodded.

"He is made from you after all, from your essence and power." She told him. She rested her forehead to the horse's cheek and breathed in, a sigh left her lips a moment later. "What a wonderful scent his coat has."

"I created him with you in mind." The words left his lips before he could stop them.

Her eyes met his and he wished, hoped and prayed that he was right to believe that what he saw there was the buddings of love. She was a love goddess, she was more than able to love more than one man deeply and completely after all. But would her love for him ever consume her as his love for her consumed him? He hoped, he desperately hoped. He had always wanted her, always needed her, but after that kiss, there truly was no going back for him. Living without her was no longer an option, of course it had never been an option in his mind, only a forced state of existence. But now that he had this light and the possibility of her love, he could not live any other way. He could not live without her smile, without being able to kiss her, without being able to feel her body in his arms.

He made a promise to himself then and there that he would do everything he could to make her fall in love with him. Little did he know that she already was, that that kiss they had shared had awakened her to feelings she did not know she had for him.

"He is magnificent." Ennina said to him, speaking of the horse.

"He is yours then." Poseidon said at once. "A gift." Her eyes lit up and a huge smile spread across her face.

Ennina walked up to Poseidon and wrapped her arms around him, holding him close as a little laugh left her lips. Poseidon held her, melting into her all too inviting warmth and breathing in her precious scent. Her lips brushed across his cheek in a soft kiss, making that point on his face burn and tingle, though his whole body felt like it was ranging with the strength of a tempest.

"Thank you, Poseidon." She said softly, into his ear and his knees almost gave out.

It was not even close to being fair, the power she held over him was too much and yet he wanted it no other way. And they call women the weaker sex, Poseidon thought to himself, realizing the irony, that it was the opposite for a man when the woman he loves is concerned.

After a few moments, he allowed her to slip away from him while his body gave out a silent cry for her warmth, for her presence. He was going to die if he could never kiss her again. She smiled to him, her cheeks glowing slightly golden. She began to walk away when, in a moment of desperation, Poseidon caught Ennina's hand. She stopped and looked back to him with curious eyes.

"Will you have dinner with me tonight?" He asked, nearly begged.

"Yes." She replied with a bright smile, Poseidon could hardly believe he had heard her correctly. With that one word, Poseidon felt the fiercest king of hope and the most profound, giddy kind of joy. "I will come to your palace this evening." She gave his hand a soft squeeze and then walked away with the huge, black horse following her.

That fateful day that beheld the contest for Athens was the beginning of a long, wonderful, passionate and loving relationship between Poseidon and Ennina. They both brought out the best in each other, bringing laughter and smiles to each day, and holding each other through the tears. Many years later, since the gods are allowed to have more than one spouse, Poseidon and Ennina finally became husband and wife. He made her a gift of a beautiful bay mare for their wedding. They went on to have seven powerful children, born of the sea and the storm, and to this day, they are happily wed and passionately and devotedly in love with each other.

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